Network address compression for electronic devices

ABSTRACT

The subject technology provides an in-place encoding of a network identifier that compresses the network identifier without mapping the network identifier to a another server or service, such as URL shortening service. The network identifier may be compressed using segmented encoding operations that segment the network identifier, and encode the characters of the network identifier using a first set of encoding operations for a first portion of the network identifier and a second set of encoding operations for a second portion of the network identifier. Template encoding may also be provided for network identifiers that conform to a predefined template format.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/826,155, entitled “Network Address Compression For ElectronicDevices,” filed May 26, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/199,426, entitled “Network Address CompressionFor Electronic Devices,” filed Mar. 11, 2021, which claims the benefitof priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/083,015,entitled “Network Address Compression For Electronic Devices,” filed onSep. 24, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein inits entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present description generally relates to electronic devices and,more particularly, to network address compression for electronicdevices.

BACKGROUND

Uniform resource locators (URLs) are commonly used to identify thelocations of data or other resources on a network. With theproliferation of network data, URLs for each specific resource on anetwork such as the Internet can be lengthy and cumbersome strings ofcharacters.

Conventional URL shortening services can be used replace the domain nameof the URL with the domain name of the URL shortening service, and addan identifier that can be referenced by the URL shortening service. Inorder to access the URL, an end user device must first access the URLshortening service using the shortened URL, the URL shortening servicemust map the identifier in the shortened URL to the full URL stored atthe URL shortening service, and the URL shortening service must use a403 redirect to redirect the end user device to the URL.

However, shortening a URL in this way removes information about theresource and the host of the resource from the URL, and requiresadditional communications with the URL shortening service and additionaloperations by the URL shortening service that can undesirably take timeand use additional network and computing resources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain features of the subject technology are set forth in the appendedclaims. However, for purpose of explanation, several embodiments of thesubject technology are set forth in the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network architecture in accordance withone or more implementations.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment in which an end-user devicecan obtain a code in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example network identifier in accordance with oneor more implementations.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example network identifier in a template format inaccordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process for compressingand encoding a network identifier in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating additional details of the exampleprocess of FIG. 5 in accordance with one or more implementations.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process for decoding anencoded network identifier in accordance with one or moreimplementations.

FIG. 8 illustrates an electronic system with which one or moreimplementations of the subject technology may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology can bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, the subject technology is notlimited to the specific details set forth herein and can be practicedusing one or more other implementations. In one or more implementations,structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order toavoid obscuring the concepts of the subject technology.

The subject technology provides encoded network identifiers, such asencoded uniform resource locators (URLs) and/or encoded uniform resourceidentifiers (URIs), that are compressed, relative to the length and/orsize of the unencoded network identifier, by an encoding process. Inaccordance with aspects of the subject technology, the networkidentifiers can be encoded “in place”, to compress the networkidentifier without including a reference to another server (e.g., ashortening server) that stores some or all of the information from theoriginal URL. Encoded network identifiers can be provided for anysuitable network resource that can be associated with a networkidentifier, including applications and/or transient version(s) of anapplication that includes less functionality than a full version of theapplication (as examples).

As discussed in further detail hereinafter, a network identifier may becompressed and encoded in segments, to generate a compact representationof the network identifier. The compact representations may be generatedby performing segmented encoding operations that include one or moredifferent encoding schemes for each of one or more segments of thenetwork identifier, and selecting a most compact representation from thevarious results of the various encoding schemes.

In one or more implementations, a network identifier may be comparedwith a template network identifier format. Template encoding can beperformed as part of the segmented encoding operations, for additionalcompression efficiency, for network identifiers that match the templateformat. In various examples, the template format may support a customdomain name, a path from a set of predefined words, and optional queryparameters with auto-generated names.

The disclosed segmented encoding operations may also support an optionalspecial subdomain, which can be identified by a predetermined word inthe network identifier. If present in the network identifier, thepredefined word can be encoded with one bit. This special subdomain canprovide the benefit of allowing developers to create unique networkidentifiers that are compact, readable, and avoid conflict with otherexisting network identifiers (e.g., other network identifiers withsimilar segments) that may be used for a different purpose than thenetwork identifier being encoded.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system architecture 100 including variouselectronic devices that may implement the subject system in accordancewith one or more implementations. Not all of the depicted components maybe used in all implementations, however, and one or more implementationsmay include additional or different components than those shown in thefigure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may bemade without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims as setforth herein. Additional components, different components, or fewercomponents may be provided.

The system architecture 100 includes an electronic device 110, anelectronic device 115, and a server 120. For explanatory purposes, thesystem architecture 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1 as including theelectronic device 110, the electronic device 115, and the server 120;however, the system architecture 100 may include any number ofelectronic devices, peripheral devices, and any number of servers or adata center including multiple servers.

The network 106 may communicatively (directly or indirectly) couple, forexample, the electronic device 110, and/or the electronic device 115with each other device and/or the server 120. In one or moreimplementations, the network 106 may be an interconnected network ofdevices that may include, or may be communicatively coupled to, theInternet.

The electronic device 110 may be, for example, a portable computingdevice such as a laptop computer, a smartphone, a peripheral device(e.g., a digital camera, headphones), a tablet device, a wearable devicesuch as a watch, a band, and the like, or any other appropriate devicethat includes, for example, one or more wireless interfaces, such asWLAN radios, cellular radios, Bluetooth radios, Zigbee radios, nearfield communication (NFC) radios, and/or other wireless radios. In FIG.1 , by way of example, the electronic device 110 is depicted as asmartphone. The electronic device 110 may be, and/or may include all orpart of the electronic system discussed below with respect to FIG. 8 .In one or more implementations, the electronic device 110 may be anotherdevice such as an Internet Protocol (IP) camera, a tablet, or aperipheral device such as an electronic stylus, etc.

The electronic device 115 may be, for example, desktop computer, aportable computing device such as a laptop computer, a smartphone, aperipheral device (e.g., a digital camera, headphones), a tablet device,a wearable device such as a watch, a band, and the like. In FIG. 1 , byway of example, the electronic device 115 is depicted as a desktopcomputer. The electronic device 115 may be, and/or may include all orpart of, the electronic system discussed below with respect to FIG. 8 .

The server 120 may form all or part of a network of computers or a groupof servers 130, such as in a cloud computing or data centerimplementation. For example, the server 120 stores data and software,and includes specific hardware (e.g., processors, graphics processorsand other specialized or custom processors) for hosting an applicationrepository, performing privacy-preserving mapping between uniformresource locators (URLs) and application identifiers, and/or verifyingand/or authenticating users of the server (e.g., for access toapplications in the application repository). In an implementation, theserver 120 may function as a cloud server.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment 200 in which an electronicdevice may implement the subject system in accordance with one or moreimplementations. Not all of the depicted components may be used in allimplementations, however, and one or more implementations may includeadditional or different components than those shown in the figure.Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the claims as set forthherein. Additional components, different components, or fewer componentsmay be provided.

The environment 200 includes an electronic device 110, a store 202, anda wireless access point 204 (e.g., a Wi-Fi access point, a cellularaccess point, an NFC access point, and/or the like). For explanatorypurposes, the environment 200 is illustrated in FIG. 2 as including asingle electronic device 110, a single store 202, and one wirelessaccess point 204; however, the environment 200 may include any number ofelectronic devices, any number of stores, and any number of wirelessaccess points.

In the example of FIG. 2 , the environment 200 includes scannable codesthat can be scanned or otherwise read by the electronic device 110(e.g., using a camera or other sensor of the electronic device). Forexample, a user may use a camera or other sensor of electronic device110 to scan a code such as a bar code or a QR code or another code(e.g., associated with the store), and a network identifier can beobtained by the electronic device based on the scanned code. Forexample, the electronic device 110 may capture an image of a code, suchas code 208 or code 210 of FIG. 2 , obtain (e.g., extract) an encodednetwork identifier from the image of the code), decode the encodednetwork identifier, and perform various operations (e.g., locally at theelectronic device and/or in cooperation with servers 130) to accessand/or obtain a resource identified by the decoded network identifier.

In the example of FIG. 2 , environment 200 includes a code 208 at apoint-of-sale 206 of store 202 and a code 210 at the entrance 212 of thestore 202. Code 208 and Code 210 may be the same code or may bedifferent codes. For example, in one implementation, code 208 may be acode associated with the point-of-sale 206 that includes an encodednetwork identifier that, when decoded by electronic device 110, causesthe electronic device 110 to obtain a version of an application forstore 202 that includes only a payment functionality. Code 210 may be acode associated with the entrance 212 to store 202 that includes anencoded network identifier that, when decoded by electronic device 110,causes the electronic device 110 to obtain a version of the applicationfor store 202 that includes only an online ordering functionality orincludes an online ordering functionality and a payment functionality.

In another example, electronic device 110 may communicate with one ormore access points such as wireless access point 204 to determine thatthe electronic device 110 is at or near the location of store 202.Electronic device 110 may communicate with local server 120L associatedwith store 202 and/or with remote server 120R to determine obtain anencoded network identifier such as an encoded URL for an applicationassociated with store 202 based on the location of electronic device 110at or near the store.

The environment 200 includes a store and codes 208 and 210 associatedwith the store. However, this is merely an example, and it should beappreciated that the environment 200 may include other commercial ornon-commercial locations, buildings, venues, indoor environments,outdoor environments and/or any other places or objects that can beassociated with a scannable code that includes an encoded networkidentifier.

Codes 208 and 210 may be implemented as bar codes or quick response (QR)codes in some examples. Bar codes and/or QR codes may include sufficientvisual complexity to include all of the information in a networkidentifier of substantially any size. However, in some scenarios, it maybe desirable to be able to embed a network identifier in a visual object(e.g., a logo for the store, or artwork on the wall of the store) thatdoes not support enough complexity to embed network identifiers ofarbitrary size. For example, in some scenarios, it may be desirable togenerate codes 208 and 210 that embed network identifiers having a sizeof less than or equal to 128 bits. It may also be desirable to generatenetwork identifiers that have a size less than a size threshold or alength less than a length threshold in other scenarios that do notinclude visual codes such as codes 208 and 210.

In order to provide network identifiers (e.g., URLs, URIs, and the like)of substantially any size, within a size limit (e.g., 128 bits) or alength limit (e.g., for embedding in one of codes 208 or 210), segmentedencoding operations can be performed to compress and encode the networkidentifier as described herein. In one or more implementations, once anencoded network identifier having a number of characters that is lessthan the number of characters in the unencoded network identifier hasbeen generated, the characters of the encoded identifier can be furtherencoded into a visual representation for inclusion in codes 208 or 210,in one or more implementations.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a network identifier 300 that can beencoded and/or compressed using the segmented encoding operationsdescribed herein. In the example of FIG. 3, network identifier 300includes a string of characters that define a protocol 301 (e.g.,“https”), a host 302 (e.g., “www.example.com”), a path 304 (e.g.,“path”), a query 308 (e.g., “query”), and a fragment 310 (e.g.,“fragment”). Each of the protocol 301, the host, 302, the path 304, thequery 308, and the fragment 310 (e.g., and the characters thereof) maybe referred to as a segment of the network identifier 300. In thisexample, the host 302 itself includes multiple segments including asubdomain (e.g., “www” in the example of FIG. 3 ), a domain (e.g.,“example” the example of FIG. 3 ), and a top level domain (TLD) (e.g.,“.com” in the example of FIG. 3 ). In another example, the subdomain maybe a special subdomain that is identified by a predetermined word thatfunctions as a flag for the segmented encoding operations, as describedin further detail hereinafter.

The segmented encoding operations described herein may includedetermining an encoding scheme for each network identifier by encodingthe network identifier using multiple predefined encoding schemes, andidentifying the most efficient encoding scheme for that networkidentifier based on the results the multiple encodings. In this way, anefficient compression of each network identifier can be obtained. In oneor more implementations, each of the multiple encoding schemes for thesegmented encoding operations may include dividing the networkidentifier into three initial segments (e.g., the protocol, the host,and the rest of the network identifier), further dividing the host intodomain and a Top Level Domain (TLD) (e.g., to attempt a more optimizedcompression for each), and attempting to match the network identifieragainst a predefined template (e.g., for potentially more efficientcompression of the network identifier if the network identifier conformsto the template format).

In one or more implementations, the segmented encoding operations mayinclude dividing the network identifier 300 into the segments of theprotocol 301, host 302, path 304, query 308, and fragment 310. Thesegmented encoding operations may also include determining whether thehost 302 includes a prefix corresponding to a predetermined word for aspecial subdomain. If the host has the prefix, the segmented encodingoperations may include removing the prefix and outputting a value of oneto encoding bits for inclusion in the encoded network identifier, toindicate the special domain is used. If the host does not include theprefix, a value of zero may be output to encoding bits for inclusion inthe encoded network identifier.

In one or more implementations, the segmented encoding operations mayalso include determining a first set of encoding operations for encodingthe host 302. For example, the segmented encoding operations may selecta set of encoding operations for the host that results in a smallestlength of bits, from one a first group of encoding operations, a secondgroup of encoding operations, and a third group of encoding operations.In various implementations, encoding and/or compression operations maybe performed based on one or more codebooks. A codebook may be definedby a set of tables for encoding and decoding that respectively map asymbol to a coded version of the symbol, or vice versa.

The first group of encoding operations that may be considered for thefirst set of encoding operations may include compressing the TLD with aTLD codebook (e.g., the TLD Huffman codebook or another TLD codebook),and compressing the domain with a domain codebook (e.g., the domainHuffman codebook or another domain codebook such as a multi-contextdomain codebook). For example, the TLD Huffman codebook maps Top LevelDomains (TLDs) to variable length bit sequences, and is designed suchthat the most popular TLD (e.g., “.com”) requires only one bit, and thelongest bit sequence in the table is eight bits. For example, the domainHuffman codebook is generated by analyzing domains from the mostfrequently visited websites, and can be used to encode either the domainor the domain and TLD segments of a host in some implementations.

The second group of encoding operations may include compressing the TLDwith a TLD fixed length index table, and compressing the domain with thedomain codebook. The TLD fixed length index table uses a fixed-length8-bit index table to encode TLDs that are not encoded with the TLDcodebook (e.g., the TLD Huffman codebook or another TLD codebook). TheTLD fixed length index table encodes the TLDs that are not included inthe TLD codebook to, for example, less than twenty bits or less than tenbits, which is more efficient than using, for example, a Huffmancodebook to represent the additional 256 domains, which would result invarious TLD symbols mapping to tens of bits.

The third group of encoding operations may include compressing theentire concatenated domain and TLD with the domain codebook (e.g., thedomain Huffman codebook or another domain codebook such as amulti-context domain codebook).

The segmented encoding operations may include selecting the first set ofencoding operations from among the first, second, and third groups ofencoding operations, by (i) encoding the host using the first group ofencoding operations, the second group of encoding operations, and thethird group of encoding operations, (ii) selecting the shortest resultfrom the first group of encoding operations, the second group ofencoding operations, and the third group of encoding operations, (iii)outputting the compressed bits of the shortest result for inclusion inthe encoded network identifier, and (iv) outputting an op-code (alsoreferred to herein as a host bit) that identifies the selected group ofencoding operations that generated the selected shortest result.

It should be appreciated that none of the first group of encodingoperations, the second group of encoding operations, and the third groupof encoding operations reference or include any domain other than thedomain in the host 302 of the network identifier. Accordingly, thedomain is encoded without adding domain information for any domain(e.g., a domain of a URL shortening service or server) other than thedomain of the network identifier.

In one or more implementations, the segmented encoding operations mayalso include determining a second set of encoding operations forencoding the path 304, the query 308, and/or the fragment 310. Forexample, the segmented encoding operations may select a second set ofencoding operations for the path, query, and/or fragment that results ina smallest length of bits from one a fourth group of encodingoperations, a fifth group of encoding operations, and a sixth group ofencoding operations.

For example, the fourth group of encoding operations may includeconcatenating the path, the query, and/or the fragment, and compressingthe concatenated path, query, and/or fragment using multi-contextencoding for concatenated path and query data. Multi-context encodingfor concatenated path and query data may include encoding using atwo-context model that uses up to two most recent symbols to provide acontext with which to choose a codebook to encode the next symbol in theconcatenated path, query, and/or fragment. For example, a dot in theprevious two encoded symbols can indicate one or more characters likelyto appear after the dot in a network identifier. This multi-contextencoding can be performed using a collection of codebooks that ensuresthat a codebook exists for every pair of two previous symbols. Forexample, during multi-context encoding, the encoder may determine whichcodebook of the collection of codebooks to use, according to theencoding context, based on (e.g., up to) two recently encoded previoussymbols. The encoding context for the multi-context encoding may havebeen generated from, for example, concatenated path and query componentsof a dataset with a set of frequently user-engaged network identifiers.

The fifth group of encoding operations may be performed if the networkidentifier does not have a fragment. In one or more implementations, ifthe network identifier does include a fragment, the fourth group ofencoding operations described above may be selected as the second set ofencoding operations for compressing the path, query, and/or fragment(e.g., without performing the fifth or sixth groups of encodingoperations). When the fifth group of encoding operations is performed(e.g., for network identifiers that do not include a fragment), thefifth group of encoding operations may include compressing the path andcompressing the query individually (e.g., separately). In one or moreimplementations, compressing the path may include encoding one or morepath components by selecting an encoding of a word in the path from apredefined word table that includes the word. Examples of path wordsthat may be included, with corresponding encoding bits, in the tableare: “order”, “pay”, “access”, “view”, “category”, “list”, “track”,“store”, “menu”, and “reserve”. In one or more implementations,compressing the path and/or compressing the query may include performingcompression of each of the path and/or the query using, for example, asegmented path and query multi-context codebook, a fixed-length 6-bitcharacter index, and/or an integer encoding scheme. The segmented pathand query multi-context codebook may correspond to a collection ofcodebooks generated from, for example, segmented path and querycomponents of a dataset with a set of frequently user-engaged networkidentifiers, and may use up to two most recent symbols in the segmentedpath or the segmented query, to provide a context with which to choose acodebook to encode the next symbol in the segmented path or segmentedquery.

The fixed-length 6-bit character index may include an encoder thatrepresents characters from a fixed set with six bits. The fixed set ofcharacters includes, for example, characters from ‘a’ to ‘z’, ‘A’ to‘Z’, ‘0’ to ‘9’ and ‘.’, and a special end marker character. The integerencoder may use, for example, Little Endian Base 128 (LEB128) encodingto encode integers in path components or query string argument values(e.g., in contrast with encoding each of their digits as characters).

The sixth group of encoding operations may be performed if the networkidentifier matches a template format. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of anetwork identifier 400 having the template format. As shown in FIG. 4 ,a network identifier in the template format may include the “https”protocol, a host that includes a special subdomain 402 and a domain 404,a path 406 that includes (e.g., only) words from a special word tableindex defined for the template, and a query 308. In the template format,the path 406 is optional and, if included, includes one path component(e.g., selected from the words in the special word table index). In thetemplate format, the path 406 is a predefined word selected from a tableof words likely to be used in a path of a network identifier. Examplesof path words in the table are: “order”, “pay”, “access”, “view”,“category”, “list”, “track”, “store”, “menu”, and “reserve”. In thetemplate format, the query 308 includes zero or more query stringarguments, and the argument names are auto-generated names, such as p,p1, p2, . . . , pn.

The sixth group of encoding operations include encoding the path andquery according to the template (e.g., using a template encodingscheme). Encoding the network identifier according to the template mayinclude encoding the special subdomain 402 with one bit (e.g., zero orone), and encoding the path 406 having the special word with a pathspecial words fixed-length 8-bit index. The path special wordsfixed-length 8-bit index may include encodings for the table of specialwords that are likely to appear in a path of a network identifier, andencode each of the special words efficiently using only eight bits. Thetemplate encoding of the other portions of the network identifier 400(e.g., the domain and/or the query) may include encoding these portionsof the network identifier using any of the encoding operations describedherein and/or any combination thereof.

Selecting the second set of encoding operations may include, if thenetwork identifier includes a fragment, selecting the result of thefourth group of encoding operations, and outputting an op-code thatindicates the fourth group of encoding operations was used to generatethe selected result. Selecting the second set of encoding operations mayinclude, if the network identifier does not include a fragment,determining which of the result of the fourth group of encodingoperations, the fifth group of encoding operations, or the sixth groupof encoding operations (if performed) is the shortest result, outputtingthe shortest result for inclusion in the encoded network identifier, andoutputting a op-code (also referred to herein as a segmentation bit)that identifies the one of the fourth group of encoding operations, thefifth group of encoding operations, or the sixth group of encodingoperations that generated the selected shortest result.

In one or more implementations, the segmented encoding operations mayalso include setting an additional op-code (also referred to herein as atemplate bit) that identifies whether the template encoding (e.g., thesixth group of encoding operations) was used. The additional op-code maybe set to one if the template encoding was used, or to zero if thetemplate encoding was not used.

In order to generate the encoded network identifier (e.g., and providethe encoded network identifier such as for visual encoding into one ofcodes 208 or 210 for later decoding and access of associated resourcesby an end-user device such as electronic device 110), the segmentedencoding operations may also include concatenating the selected encodedbit segments for the protocol, special subdomain, the host, the path,the query, and/or the fragment, and/or one or more op-codes associatedwith the selections, to form the encoded network identifier.

For example, concatenating the selected bit segments and op-codes mayinclude including laying out the bits of the encoded network identifierin an order such as:

-   -   [is template] [special subdomain] [host encoding strategy]        [host] [segmented] [path] [query],    -   where each [ ] pair represents a group of bits as follows.

For example, [is template] may include a single template bit that is setto one if the encoded network identifier was encoded using templateencoding or set to zero otherwise. For example, [special subdomain] mayalso include a single subdomain bit that is set to one if the networkidentifier included a special subdomain or set to zero otherwise. Forexample, [host encoding strategy] may include one or more host bits thatindicate which of several groups of encoding operations were used toencode the host of the network identifier. For example, the host bits in[host encoding strategy] may be set to zero if the first group ofencoding operations described herein was used to encode the host, set to“10” if the second group of encoding operations described herein wasused to encode the host, or set to “11” if the third group of encodingoperations described herein was used to encode the host. The [host] mayinclude the encoded host that was encoded according to the encodingscheme identified by the [host encoding strategy].

The [segmented] bits may include one or more segmentation bits thatindicate whether a path and a query in the network identifier wereencoded separately (e.g., segmented and then encoded, such as using thefifth group of encoding operations described herein) or encoded together(e.g., concatenated and encoded, such as using the fourth group ofencoding operations described herein). For example, the [segmented] bitsmay include a single bit that is set to zero if the path and query wereencoded together, or set to one if the path and query were segmented andencoded separately. It should also be appreciated that the [segmented]portion of the encoded network identifier may occupy zero bits if the[is template] is set to one (e.g., indicating that the sixth group ofencoding operations, the template encoding, was used). In this way, the[is template] and [segmented] bits can identify whether the fourth,fifth, or sixth groups of encoding operations were used to encode thepath, query, and/or fragments in the network identifier. The [path] and[query] may include the encoded respective path and query, that wereencoded according to the encoding scheme identified by [is template]and/or [segmented]. In one or more implementations, when segmentedencoding was used for encoding the path and query separately, the [path]bits and/or the [query] bits may include one or more encoding type bitsthat identify a type of encoding that was used for that segment of thenetwork identifier. For example, the encoding type bits may identify apath alphabet, use of integer (e.g., LEB128) encoding, use offixed-length 6-bit alphabet encoding, and/or use of special words in theencoding of one or more portions of the path and/or query. In one ormore implementations, when the template encoding is used (e.g., [istemplate]=1), the [path] may be provided with a template word indexcorresponding to a special word in the path.

Encoding of variable length strings may include specifying an end marker(also referred to as EOF or EOF marker) to signify the end of a streamor end of encoding of a segment of the stream. However, in one or moreimplementations the EOF itself can add overhead to the encoding.

In one or more implementations, the segmented encoding operations mayinclude operations that reduce or eliminate the use of EOF markers in anencoded network identifier. For example, in the segmented encodingoperations, the last segment of the network identifier may be encodedwithout an EOF marker. For example, after the last segment, the decoderhas no more bits to read and may thus be able to identify the end of thelast segment without an EOF marker. However, a problem can arise whenthe length of encoded data is smaller than the allowed number of bits(e.g., 128 bits) for the encoding, because the encoded networkidentifier may be padded with zeros to fill the allowed number of bits.Without an end marker, the decoder may see more bits in the stream afterdecoding the last valid symbol. To address this problem, the segmentedencoding operations may move all of the encoded bits to the right of theavailable (e.g., 128 bit) bit array, such that the last encoded bit isin the last bit index (e.g., bit index 127). The segmented encodingoperations may also mark the beginning of the stream with a ‘1’ bit setas the most significant bit (MSB) of the encoded data. With thisencoding, the decoder in turn skips all of the left-most ‘0’ bits untilit sees the first bit ‘1’, and then starts decoding the rest of the bitsof the encoded identifier.

The segmented encoding operations may also reduce the use of EOF markersby encoding integer data using integer encoding (e.g., LEB128) whichproduces a variable-length encoding and eliminates the need for anexplicit EOF at the end of the encoded integer data. The segmentedencoding operations may also reduce the use of EOF markers by usingHuffman and/or fixed-length TLD encodings, which do not include an EOFsince the decoder knows that the TLD is one symbol. The segmentedencoding operations may also reduce the use of EOF markers by using thetemplate encoding when the network identifier conforms to the templateformat. For example, in the template format, the query argument valuesmay have an EOF if they are alphabetical values. However, since thedecoder for a network identifier that conforms to the template formatknows from [is template] that it is decoding an array of values, thevalues can be provided without including begin markers to indicate a newquery item to be decoded. A network identifier in the template formatwith one argument can be encoded without an EOF for the argument due tothe right-justification/MSB operations described above. For a networkidentifier in the template format with multiple arguments, the lastargument can be provided without an EOF for the argument due to theright-justification/MSB operations described above. The segmentedencoding operations may also reduce the use of EOF markers by, whenencoding individual query items, ordering the encoded bits for parametername and parameter value such that the need for EOF is reduced oreliminated. For example, if the value is encoded using LEB128 for thelast query item, the value is encoded before the argument name. This caneliminate the user of an EOF for the argument name.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process for encoding anetwork identifier, in accordance with one or more implementations. Forexplanatory purposes, the process 500 is primarily described herein withreference to the electronic device 110 and server 120 of FIG. 1 .However, the process 500 is not limited to the electronic device 110 andserver 120 of FIG. 1 , and one or more blocks (or operations) of theprocess 500 may be performed by one or more other components of theserver 120 or the electronic device 110 and/or by other suitable devicessuch as electronic device 115. Further for explanatory purposes, theblocks of the process 500 are described herein as occurring in series,or linearly. However, multiple blocks of the process 500 may occur inparallel. In addition, the blocks of the process 500 need not beperformed in the order shown and/or one or more blocks of the process500 need not be performed and/or can be replaced by other operations.

At block 502, a network identifier (e.g., having an associated lengthdefined by a number of characters in the network identifier) may bereceived (e.g., by an electronic device such as electronic device 110and/or by a server such as server 120). The network identifier mayinclude a string of characters (e.g., a string of characters definingvarious parts of the network identifier, such as a domain, a path, ahost, etc.)

At block 504, the characters of the network identifier may be encoded togenerate an encoded network identifier. The encoded network identifiermay include fewer characters than the number of characters in thenetwork identifier. In one or more implementations, encoding thecharacters of the network identifier to generate the encoded networkidentifier may including identifying a special subdomain in the networkidentifier, and encoding the special subdomain with a single bit in theencoded network identifier. In one or more implementations, the specialsubdomain identifies a resource associated with the network identifieras a transient version of an application for the end user electronicdevice, the transient version including less functionality than a fullversion of the application. For example, the full version of theapplication may be associated with a network identifier having the samedomain but not including the special subdomain. Additional exampleoperations that can be performed for encoding the characters of thenetwork identifier are described in further detail in connection withFIG. 6 .

At block 506, the encoded network identifier may be provided (e.g., toanother electronic device and/or for embedding in a scannable code suchas a code 208 or code 210 of FIG. 2 ) for access, by an end userelectronic device that is configured to decode the encoded networkidentifier, to information associated with the network identifier. Inone or more implementations, providing the encoded network identifierfor access by the end user electronic device may include providing theencoded network identifier to one or more external systems configured todistribute the encoded network identifier to end user electronicdevices. Distributing the encoded network identifier to end userelectronic device may include visually encoding the encoded networkidentifier into a code such as codes 208 and 210 of FIG. 2 , orproviding the encoded network identifier, via a network, to the end userelectronic devices (e.g., responsive to a user action such as clicking alink, or responsive to a device location such as when the device entersa store).

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of illustrative operations that may be includedin the encoding operations of block 504.

At block 600, a domain of the network identifier may be encoded. Forexample, encoding the domain of the network identifier may includeencoding the characters of the domain of the network identifier (e.g.,without adding domain information for any domain other than the domainof the network identifier). For example, the domain may be compressedseparately from the top level domain or concatenated with the top leveldomain using a domain codebook such as the domain Huffman codebookand/or a multi-context domain codebook.

At block 602, a host of the network identifier may be encoded using afirst set of encoding operations. For example, the host segment of thenetwork identifier may be divided into parts (e.g., three segments, suchas a prefix such as a subdomain or special subdomain, a domain, and atop level domain (TLD)). If the prefix for the domain is a specialsubdomain, the special subdomain may be encoded using only one bit. Thissubdomain may be provided in the network identifier (e.g., by adeveloper of a resource) to describe specific resource with the networkidentifier, and may be set to a predefined or predetermined word orstring.

In one or more implementations, the domain and/or the TLD can be encodedusing any of multiple groups of encoding operations, depending on thecompactness of the result of the encoding. For example, the TLD can becompressed using a TLD codebook (e.g., the TLD Huffman codebook) and thedomain can be compressed using a domain codebook (e.g., the domainHuffman codebook or another domain codebook such as a multi-contextdomain codebook) with a first group of encoding operations. As anotherexample, the TLD can be compressed using the TLD fixed-length tableindex described herein, and the domain can be compressed with the domaincodebook, in a second group of encoding operations. As another example,the entire concatenated domain and TLD can be compressed with the domaincodebook, in a third group of encoding operations. Encoding the hostusing the first set of encoding operations may include encoding the hostwith each of the first, second, and third groups of encoding operations,and selecting the group that provides the most compact result. Anop-code may be included in the encoded network identifier that indicateswhich group of encoding operations was used for encoding the host, andthat can be used by a decoder to determine how the host bits should bedecoded.

In one or more implementations, the first set of encoding operations mayinclude encoding the host using at least two encoding schemes (e.g., atleast two of the first group of encoding operations, the second group ofencoding operations, and the third group of encoding operations asdescribed herein), and selecting one of the encodings of the hostresulting from the at least two encoding schemes for inclusion in theencoded network identifier.

At block 604, a path of the network identifier may be encoded using asecond set of encoding operations different from the first set ofencoding operations. For example, after separating the protocol and hostsegments from the network identifier, the rest of the network identifiermay include an optional path, an optional query, and optional fragmentcomponents. The characters in the rest of the network identifier mayinclude characters from the set including characters from ‘a’ to ‘z’,‘A’ to ‘Z’, ‘0’ to ‘9’, and ‘/#?=%-._,+;:&’, and/or generally any othercharacters.

In one or more implementations, the rest of the network identifier canbe encoded using any of multiple groups of encoding operations,depending on the compactness of the result of the encoding. For examplethe entire rest of the network identifier may be concatenated andcompressed (e.g., using multi-context encoding as described herein), ina fourth group of encoding operations. As another example, the path andquery segments may be separated and compressed individually in a fifthgroup of encoding operations. The fifth group of encoding operations mayprovide the advantage of implicitly encoding parts of the path and querysuch as characters ‘/’, ‘&’, and ‘=’. Moreover, encoding each individualpath component and query item can compress each segment more efficientlyin some scenarios since, for example, integers can be efficientlyencoded (e.g., using LEB128) instead of encoding each individualcharacter. As another example, the path and query segments may becompressed using a template encoding if the network identifier conformsto a template format, in a sixth group of encoding operations

Encoding the rest of the network identifier (e.g., the path, the query,and/or the fragments) using the second set of encoding operations mayinclude encoding the rest of the network identifier with each of thefourth, fifth, and sixths groups of encoding operations, and selectingthe group that provides the most compact result. An op-code may beincluded in the encoded network identifier that indicates which group ofencoding operations was used for encoding the rest of the networkidentifier, and that can be used by a decoder to determine how the bitsfor the rest of the network identifier should be decoded.

In one or more implementations, the second set of encoding operationsmay include determining whether the network identifier has a format thatmatches a template format (e.g., the template format described above inconnection with FIG. 4 ), encoding the path (e.g., and/or a query and/ora fragment) of the network identifier using a first encoding scheme(e.g., the fourth group of encoding operations or the fifth group ofencoding operations described herein) irrespective of whether thenetwork identifier has the format that matches the template format,encoding the path (e.g., and/or a query and/or a fragment) of thenetwork identifier using a second encoding scheme (e.g., the sixth groupof encoding operations described herein) if the network identifier hasthe format that matches the template format, and selecting one of theencodings of the path (e.g., and/or a query and/or a fragment) from thefirst encoding scheme or the second encoding scheme if the networkidentifier has the format that matches the template format. In one ormore implementations, encoding the path (e.g., and/or a query and/or afragment) of the network identifier using the second encoding scheme mayinclude encoding the path and one or more queries of the networkidentifier using the template encoding scheme (e.g., the sixth group ofencoding operations described herein).

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example process for decoding anencoded network identifier, in accordance with one or moreimplementations. For explanatory purposes, the process 700 is primarilydescribed herein with reference to the electronic device 110 and server120 of FIG. 1 . However, the process 700 is not limited to theelectronic device 110 and server 120 of FIG. 1 , and one or more blocks(or operations) of the process 700 may be performed by one or more othercomponents of the server 120 or the electronic device 110 and/or byother suitable devices such as electronic device 115. Further forexplanatory purposes, the blocks of the process 700 are described hereinas occurring in series, or linearly. However, multiple blocks of theprocess 700 may occur in parallel. In addition, the blocks of theprocess 700 need not be performed in the order shown and/or one or moreblocks of the process 700 need not be performed and/or can be replacedby other operations.

At block 702, an encoded network identifier corresponding to a networkidentifier that includes a host, a domain, and a path, may be obtained.The encoded network identifier includes a plurality of characters.Obtaining the encoded network identifier may include, for example,clicking a link including the encoded network identifier, scanning avisual code such as one of codes 208 and 210 of FIG. 2 and extractingthe encoded network identifier from the scanned visual code, and/orreceiving the encoded identifier via a network access point (asexamples). The encoded network identifier may be obtained, for example,by an end user electronic device such as electronic device 110. Forexample, obtaining the encoded network identifier may include obtaininga code containing the encoded network identifier, and extracting theencoded network identifier from the code. In one or moreimplementations, obtaining the code may include capturing an image ofthe code with a camera.

At block 704, a host encoding scheme for the host may be determined fromthe encoded network identifier. For example, determining the hostencoding scheme may including identifying a first set of encodingoperations that were used to encode the host based on an op-code in theencoded network identifier. For example, determining the host encodingscheme for the host may include determining, based on a host bit in theencoded network identifier, whether the domain and a top level domain ofthe host are encoded differently (e.g., using the first group ofencoding operations or the second group of encoding operations describedherein, each of which use a different codebook for the domain and thetop-level domain), e.g., or whether the domain and the top level domainwere encoded using a common codebook (e.g., using the third group ofencoding operations described herein).

At block 706, a path encoding scheme for the path may be determined fromthe encoded network identifier. For example, determining the pathencoding scheme may including identifying a second set of encodingoperations that were used to encode the path based on an additionalop-code (e.g., a segmentation bit) in the encoded network identifier.For example, determining the path encoding scheme for the path mayinclude determining, based on a segmentation bit in the encoded networkidentifier, whether the path is encoded together with a query of thenetwork identifier. In one or more implementations, determining the pathencoding scheme for the path may include determining, based on atemplate bit in the encoded network identifier, whether the pathencoding scheme is a template encoding scheme.

At block 708, a first portion of the characters of the encoded networkidentifier may be decoded based on the host encoding scheme to obtainthe host and the domain. For example the encoded host (e.g., including asubdomain, a special subdomain, a domain, and/or a top level domain) maybe decoded by reversing the one of the first, second, or third group ofencoding operations that is identified by the host bit in the encodedidentifier as having been used to encode the host.

At block 710, a second portion of the characters of the encoded networkidentifier may be decoded based on the path encoding scheme to obtainthe path. For example the encoded path, query(ies), and/or fragment(s)may be decoded by reversing the one of the fourth, fifth, or sixth groupof encoding operations that is identified by the segmentation bit and/orthe template bit in the encoded identifier as having been used to encodethe path.

At block 712, a resource corresponding to the network identifier usingthe decoded host, domain, and path may be accessed (e.g., by electronicdevice 110). For example, in one or more implementations, multipleversions of an application may be available. Each version of aparticular application, and the application itself (e.g., the fullapplication) may have the same application identifier, or a same portionof the application identifier, in common with other versions of the sameapplication. Each version of the application may be areduced-functionality version of the application that has lessfunctionality than a full version of the application. In some examples,the application may be an application associated with a location such asthe store 202 (e.g., an application associated with a particular onlineand/or brick-and-mortar retailer).

The full version of the application may be obtained, such as from aremote server 120R, when the a user of electronic device 110 accesses anapplication repository at the remote server, selects the applicationfrom various applications in the application repository, providesauthenticating information to the remote server 120R to verify access toa user account at the remote server 120R, downloads and installs thecode for the application after the authenticating information isverified by the remote server, and then installs and launches theapplication.

The full version of the application may provide various functionalitiessuch as a payment functionality, an online ordering functionality, astore locator functionality, an account access functionality, anapplication settings functionality, a search functionality, a helpdeskfunctionality, an order history functionality, a newsfeed functionality,an image capture functionality, a messaging functionality, a mappingfunctionality, etc. The full version of the application may be able toaccess, and/or request authorization to access, more components and/ormore data at the electronic device 110 than a reduced-functionalityversion of the application. For example, the full version of theapplication may be able to request access to a photo library associatedwith the electronic device, where a reduced-functionality version of theapplication is prevented from requesting access to the photo library. Inanother example, a reduced-functionality version of the application maybe able to access a subset of the components (e.g., sensors, cameras,etc.) that are accessible by the full application.

However, in various operational scenarios, the user may not need all ofthe functionality of the full application, and/or the user may not beable to, or desire to, spend the time and/or energy to locate,authenticate for, download, install, and launch the full application.For example, in the network environment of FIG. 2 , the user ofelectronic device 110 may arrive and/or walk into store 202 withouthaving installed the full application associated with the store onelectronic device 110. However, the user may benefit from the ability touse one or more portions of the functionality of the application forstore 202 while at the store 202. For example, the user may desire touse the payment functionality of the application to pay for a good or aservice at the store 202. As another example, the user may desire toskip a line at the store by utilizing the online ordering functionalityof the application. In one or more implementations, multiplereduced-functionality versions of the application (e.g., a paymentfunctionality version, a ordering functionality version, an eat-inordering functionality, a take-out ordering functionality, areservations functionality, a mapping functionality, etc.) may beavailable.

In these scenarios, it may be helpful to provide the user with theability to obtain one or more of the reduced-functionality versions ofthe application (sometimes referred to herein as a clip of theapplication, an application clip, a version of a full application havingless functionality than the full application, a transient version of theapplication that has less functionality than the full application, or aportion of the application) without having to spend the time and energyof locating, authenticating for, downloading, and installing the fullapplication. For example, the version of the application may betemporarily installed on electronic device 110 (e.g., when the userarrives at or enters store 202) and then deleted after a period ofnon-use (e.g., after the user leaves the store 202), when the usercloses the version of the application, and/or when the user obtains thefull version of the application. A version of an application such as areduced-functionality version of an application (e.g., an app clip) caninclude functionality that is different from (or not included in) thefull version of the application.

An environment such as the environment 200 of FIG. 2 may allow for theelectronic device 110 to obtain an encoded network identifier or encodednetwork locator such as an encoded uniform resource locator (URL) or anencoded uniform resource identifier (URI) for an application (e.g., thefull application associated with store 202), a transient version of theapplication that includes less functionality than a full version of theapplication, or any other network resource, the encoded networkidentifier having been encoded using the segmented encoding operationsdescribed herein.

Once an encoded network identifier is obtained (e.g., by an end userelectronic device such as electronic device 110), the encoded networkidentifier can be decoded (e.g., at the electronic device 110) to obtaina decoded network identifier. Decoding the encoded network identifier atthe electronic device, using the op-codes included in the encodednetwork identifier itself, can help ensure that the privacy of the useris protected (e.g., because a connection to and/or interaction with aserver, which could reveal information such as location information ofthe electronic device to the server before the content of the networkidentifier is even known, is not needed to obtain the decoded networkidentifier). The decoded network identifier can be used to obtain theapplication, transient version of the application, and/or other resourceassociated with the decoded network identifier.

In one or more implementations, obtaining the application, transientversion of the application, and/or other resource associated with thedecoded network identifier may include determining (e.g., at electronicdevice 110), based on at least the first portion of the decoded networkidentifier, that at least the version of the application is availablewithout user authentication, in part, by determining, at the electronicdevice, whether the decoded network identifier is associated with anidentifier of any application. Determining whether the decoded networkidentifier is associated with an identifier of any application mayinclude providing a hash of the decoded network identifier (e.g., theentire decoded network identifier or a portion of the decoded networkidentifier) to a filter such as a Bloom filter at the electronic deviceand configured to return a positive result if the decoded networkidentifier may map to an application identifier (e.g., at a server thatstores registered mappings between network identifiers and applicationidentifiers) or a negative result if the decoded network identifier isnot mapped to any application identifier. If the Bloom filter indicatesthat the decoded network identifier does not map to any applicationidentifier, the electronic device may navigate directly to the decodednetwork identifier (e.g., using a web browser).

In one or more implementations, electronic device 110 may provide one ormore progressive subsets or truncations of the decoded networkidentifier to the Bloom filter, if the Bloom filter indicates that thedecoded network identifier does not map to any application identifierbased on the hash of the full decoded network identifier (e.g., in acircumstance in which the Bloom filter does not include information forthe arguments in a decoded network identifier and thus indicates thatthe decoded network identifier does not map to any applicationidentifier).

Determining, based on at least the first portion of the decoded networkidentifier, that at least the version of the application is availablewithout user authentication may include (e.g., if a local Bloom filterat the electronic device indicates that the decoded network identifiermay map to an application identifier) providing at least the firstportion of the decoded network identifier (e.g., a prefix of the decodednetwork identifier, a hash of a prefix of the decoded networkidentifier, a prefix of a hash of the decoded network identifier, or ahash of the decoded network identifier) to a remote server such asserver 120 and receiving, from the remote server, a set of data thatincludes one or more identifiers of applications and/or identifiers ofversions of applications that are associated with at least the firstportion of the decoded network identifier.

In one or more implementations, determining that at least the version ofthe application is available can be done in a privacy-preservingoperation in which the device sends a hash of the decoded networkidentifier, a portion of a hash of the entire decoded network identifier(e.g., a prefix of a full hash of the decoded network identifier), or ahash of a portion of the decoded network identifier to the server 120.The server 120 looks up a set or a “bucket” of information includingapplication identifiers, resource identifiers, and/or application clipidentifiers that correspond to that hash (e.g., the hashing algorithmmay be designed to have multiple different decoded network identifiersor portions thereof that hash to the same value) and then sends back thebucket of information including the identifiers of available versions ofthe applications and/or identifiers of the applications (e.g., anddecoded network identifiers or portions thereof that are associated withthose identifiers in the bucket). The device may then determine locallywhether an application and/or one or more versions of the applicationassociated with the decoded network identifier, and/or an identifierassociated with the application and/or one or more versions of theapplication, are included and/or identified in the bucket. If one ormore versions of the application associated with the decoded networkidentifier are included and/or identified in the bucket, the electronicdevice downloads, installs, and/or launches the version(s) of theapplication. In this way, the device can identify versions of anapplication that are available, while avoiding, for example, revealingthe location of the device or browsing or other activity of the user tothe server until the user authorizes installation of theapplication/version.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personalinformation data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefitof users. For example, the personal information data can be used forencoding and/or decoding network identifiers, and/or accessingassociated resources that may be associated with a on a user's location,a user's preferences, a user's activity, and/or crowd-sourcedinformation for the user or other users.

The present disclosure contemplates that those entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities would beexpected to implement and consistently apply privacy practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining the privacy of users. Such informationregarding the use of personal data should be prominently and easilyaccessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or useof data changes. Personal information from users should be collected forlegitimate uses only. Further, such collection/sharing should occur onlyafter receiving the consent of the users or other legitimate basisspecified in applicable law. Additionally, such entities should considertaking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to suchpersonal information data and ensuring that others with access to thepersonal information data adhere to their privacy policies andprocedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluationby third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacypolicies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should beadapted for the particular types of personal information data beingcollected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards,including jurisdiction-specific considerations which may serve to imposea higher standard. For instance, in the US, collection of or access tocertain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, suchas the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA);whereas health data in other countries may be subject to otherregulations and policies and should be handled accordingly.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, in the caseof encoding and/or decoding network identifiers and/or accessingassociated resources, the present technology can be configured to allowusers to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in thecollection and/or sharing of personal information data duringregistration for services or anytime thereafter. In addition toproviding “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosurecontemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use ofpersonal information. For instance, a user may be notified upondownloading an app that their personal information data will be accessedand then reminded again just before personal information data isaccessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing identifiers, controlling the amount orspecificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at city levelrather than at an address level or at a scale that is insufficient forfacial recognition), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregatingdata across users), and/or other methods such as differential privacy.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data.

FIG. 8 illustrates an electronic system 800 with which one or moreimplementations of the subject technology may be implemented. Theelectronic system 800 can be, and/or can be a part of, the electronicdevice 110, and/or the server 120 shown in FIG. 1 . The electronicsystem 800 may include various types of computer readable media andinterfaces for various other types of computer readable media. Theelectronic system 800 includes a bus 808, one or more processing unit(s)812, a system memory 804 (and/or buffer), a ROM 810, a permanent storagedevice 802, an input device interface 814, an output device interface806, and one or more network interfaces 816, or subsets and variationsthereof.

The bus 808 collectively represents all system, peripheral, and chipsetbuses that communicatively connect the numerous internal devices of theelectronic system 800. In one or more implementations, the bus 808communicatively connects the one or more processing unit(s) 812 with theROM 810, the system memory 804, and the permanent storage device 802.From these various memory units, the one or more processing unit(s) 812retrieves instructions to execute and data to process in order toexecute the processes of the subject disclosure. The one or moreprocessing unit(s) 812 can be a single processor or a multi-coreprocessor in different implementations.

The ROM 810 stores static data and instructions that are needed by theone or more processing unit(s) 812 and other modules of the electronicsystem 800. The permanent storage device 802, on the other hand, may bea read-and-write memory device. The permanent storage device 802 may bea non-volatile memory unit that stores instructions and data even whenthe electronic system 800 is off. In one or more implementations, amass-storage device (such as a magnetic or optical disk and itscorresponding disk drive) may be used as the permanent storage device802.

In one or more implementations, a removable storage device (such as afloppy disk, flash drive, and its corresponding disk drive) may be usedas the permanent storage device 802. Like the permanent storage device802, the system memory 804 may be a read-and-write memory device.However, unlike the permanent storage device 802, the system memory 804may be a volatile read-and-write memory, such as random access memory.The system memory 804 may store any of the instructions and data thatone or more processing unit(s) 812 may need at runtime. In one or moreimplementations, the processes of the subject disclosure are stored inthe system memory 804, the permanent storage device 802, and/or the ROM810. From these various memory units, the one or more processing unit(s)812 retrieves instructions to execute and data to process in order toexecute the processes of one or more implementations.

The bus 808 also connects to the input and output device interfaces 814and 806. The input device interface 814 enables a user to communicateinformation and select commands to the electronic system 800. Inputdevices that may be used with the input device interface 814 mayinclude, for example, alphanumeric keyboards and pointing devices (alsocalled “cursor control devices”). The output device interface 806 mayenable, for example, the display of images generated by electronicsystem 800. Output devices that may be used with the output deviceinterface 806 may include, for example, printers and display devices,such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED)display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexibledisplay, a flat panel display, a solid state display, a projector, orany other device for outputting information. One or more implementationsmay include devices that function as both input and output devices, suchas a touchscreen. In these implementations, feedback provided to theuser can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback,auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can bereceived in any form, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 8 , the bus 808 also couples the electronicsystem 800 to one or more networks and/or to one or more network nodes,such as the electronic device 110 shown in FIG. 1 , through the one ormore network interface(s) 816. In this manner, the electronic system 800can be a part of a network of computers (such as a LAN, a wide areanetwork (“WAN”), or an Intranet, or a network of networks, such as theInternet. Any or all components of the electronic system 800 can be usedin conjunction with the subject disclosure.

In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a method is provided thatincludes receiving a network identifier having an associated lengthdefined by a number of characters in the network identifier; encodingthe characters of the network identifier to generate an encoded networkidentifier, where the encoded network identifier includes fewercharacters than the number of characters in the network identifier, andproviding the encoded network identifier for access, by an end userelectronic device that is configured to decode the encoded networkidentifier, to information associated with the network identifier.Encoding the characters of the network identifier includes encoding adomain of the network identifier without adding domain information forany domain other than the domain of the network identifier; encoding ahost of the network identifier using a first set of encoding operations;and encoding a path of the network identifier using a second set ofencoding operations different from the first set of encoding operations.

In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a method is provided thatincludes obtaining an encoded network identifier corresponding to anetwork identifier that includes a host, a domain, and a path, theencoded network identifier comprising a plurality of characters;determining, from the encoded network identifier, a host encoding schemefor the host; determining, from the encoded network identifier, a pathencoding scheme for the path; decoding a first portion of the charactersof the encoded network identifier based on the host encoding scheme toobtain the host and the domain; decoding a second portion of thecharacters of the encoded network identifier based on the path encodingscheme to obtain the path; and accessing a resource corresponding to thenetwork identifier using the decoded host, domain, and path.

In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a non-transitorymachine-readable medium is provided that stored instructions which, whenexecuted by a processor, cause the processor to receive a networkidentifier having an associated length defined by a number of charactersin the network identifier; encode the characters of the networkidentifier to generate an encoded network identifier, where the encodednetwork identifier includes fewer characters than the number ofcharacters in the network identifier; and provide the encoded networkidentifier for access, by an end user electronic device that isconfigured to decode the encoded network identifier, to informationassociated with the network identifier. Causing the processor to encodethe characters of the network identifier includes causing the processorto: encode a domain of the network identifier without adding domaininformation for any domain other than the domain of the networkidentifier; encode a host of the network identifier using a first set ofencoding operations; and encode a path of the network identifier using asecond set of encoding operations different from the first set ofencoding operations.

In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a method is provided thatincludes receiving a network identifier including a string ofcharacters; encoding the characters of the network identifier togenerate an encoded network identifier; and providing the encodednetwork identifier for access, by an end user electronic device that isconfigured to decode the encoded network identifier, to informationassociated with the network identifier. Encoding the characters of thenetwork identifier includes encoding the characters of a domain of thenetwork identifier; encoding a host of the network identifier using afirst set of encoding operations; and encoding a path of the networkidentifier using a second set of encoding operations different from thefirst set of encoding operations.

In accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a non-transitorymachine-readable medium is provided that stored instructions which, whenexecuted by a processor, cause the processor to receive a networkidentifier having a plurality of characters; encode the characters ofthe network identifier to generate an encoded network identifier, wherecausing the processor to encode the characters of the network identifiercomprises causing the processor to encode the characters of a domain ofthe network identifier, encode a host of the network identifier using afirst set of encoding operations, and encode a path of the networkidentifier using a second set of encoding operations different from thefirst set of encoding operations; and provide the encoded networkidentifier for access, by an end user electronic device that isconfigured to decode the encoded network identifier, to informationassociated with the network identifier.

Implementations within the scope of the present disclosure can bepartially or entirely realized using a tangible computer-readablestorage medium (or multiple tangible computer-readable storage media ofone or more types) encoding one or more instructions. The tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium also can be non-transitory in nature.

The computer-readable storage medium can be any storage medium that canbe read, written, or otherwise accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computing device, including any processing electronics and/orprocessing circuitry capable of executing instructions. For example,without limitation, the computer-readable medium can include anyvolatile semiconductor memory, such as RAM, DRAM, SRAM, T-RAM, Z-RAM,and TTRAM. The computer-readable medium also can include anynon-volatile semiconductor memory, such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM,NVRAM, flash, nvSRAM, FeRAM, FeTRAM, MRAM, PRAM, CBRAM, SONOS, RRAM,NRAM, racetrack memory, FJG, and Millipede memory.

Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include anynon-semiconductor memory, such as optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage, magnetic tape, other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium capable of storing one or more instructions. In one or moreimplementations, the tangible computer-readable storage medium can bedirectly coupled to a computing device, while in other implementations,the tangible computer-readable storage medium can be indirectly coupledto a computing device, e.g., via one or more wired connections, one ormore wireless connections, or any combination thereof.

Instructions can be directly executable or can be used to developexecutable instructions. For example, instructions can be realized asexecutable or non-executable machine code or as instructions in ahigh-level language that can be compiled to produce executable ornon-executable machine code. Further, instructions also can be realizedas or can include data. Computer-executable instructions also can beorganized in any format, including routines, subroutines, programs, datastructures, objects, modules, applications, applets, functions, etc. Asrecognized by those of skill in the art, details including, but notlimited to, the number, structure, sequence, and organization ofinstructions can vary significantly without varying the underlyinglogic, function, processing, and output.

While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor ormulti-core processors that execute software, one or more implementationsare performed by one or more integrated circuits, such as ASICs orFPGAs. In one or more implementations, such integrated circuits executeinstructions that are stored on the circuit itself.

Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the various illustrativeblocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms describedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To illustrate this interchangeability of hardwareand software, various illustrative blocks, modules, elements,components, methods, and algorithms have been described above generallyin terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality isimplemented as hardware or software depends upon the particularapplication and design constraints imposed on the overall system.Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varyingways for each particular application. Various components and blocks maybe arranged differently (e.g., arranged in a different order, orpartitioned in a different way) all without departing from the scope ofthe subject technology.

It is understood that any specific order or hierarchy of blocks in theprocesses disclosed is an illustration of example approaches. Based upondesign preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of blocks in the processes may be rearranged, or that allillustrated blocks be performed. Any of the blocks may be performedsimultaneously. In one or more implementations, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation ofvarious system components in the implementations described above shouldnot be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations,and it should be understood that the described program components andsystems can generally be integrated together in a single softwareproduct or packaged into multiple software products.

As used in this specification and any claims of this application, theterms “base station”, “receiver”, “computer”, “server”, “processor”, and“memory” all refer to electronic or other technological devices. Theseterms exclude people or groups of people. For the purposes of thespecification, the terms “display” or “displaying” means displaying onan electronic device.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the term “and” or “or” to separate any of the items,modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e.,each item). The phrase “at least one of” does not require selection ofat least one of each item listed; rather, the phrase allows a meaningthat includes at least one of any one of the items, and/or at least oneof any combination of the items, and/or at least one of each of theitems. By way of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or“at least one of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C;any combination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, andC.

The predicate words “configured to”, “operable to”, and “programmed to”do not imply any particular tangible or intangible modification of asubject, but, rather, are intended to be used interchangeably. In one ormore implementations, a processor configured to monitor and control anoperation or a component may also mean the processor being programmed tomonitor and control the operation or the processor being operable tomonitor and control the operation. Likewise, a processor configured toexecute code can be construed as a processor programmed to execute codeor operable to execute code.

Phrases such as an aspect, the aspect, another aspect, some aspects, oneor more aspects, an implementation, the implementation, anotherimplementation, some implementations, one or more implementations, anembodiment, the embodiment, another embodiment, some implementations,one or more implementations, a configuration, the configuration, anotherconfiguration, some configurations, one or more configurations, thesubject technology, the disclosure, the present disclosure, othervariations thereof and alike are for convenience and do not imply that adisclosure relating to such phrase(s) is essential to the subjecttechnology or that such disclosure applies to all configurations of thesubject technology. A disclosure relating to such phrase(s) may apply toall configurations, or one or more configurations. A disclosure relatingto such phrase(s) may provide one or more examples. A phrase such as anaspect or some aspects may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa,and this applies similarly to other foregoing phrases.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration”. Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” or as an “example” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other implementations. Furthermore, tothe extent that the term “include”, “have”, or the like is used in thedescription or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted whenemployed as a transitional word in a claim.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the element isexpressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of amethod claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for”.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims, wherein reference to an element in thesingular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specificallyso stated, but rather “one or more”. Unless specifically statedotherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in themasculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., herand its) and vice versa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used forconvenience only and do not limit the subject disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: scanning, using a camera ofan electronic device, an object in a physical environment of theelectronic device, wherein the object comprises an embedded visualrepresentation of an encoded network identifier, wherein the encodednetwork identifier comprises characters, wherein the characters of theencoded network identifier are not included in the embedded visualrepresentation, and wherein the object comprises a visual complexitycapable of encoding a first number of bits; extracting, at theelectronic device, the encoded network identifier from the embeddedvisual representation; decoding, at the electronic device, the encodednetwork identifier to obtain a network identifier having a domain,wherein the network identifier has a size corresponding to a secondnumber of bits larger than the first number of bits, and wherein theencoded network identifier does not include domain informationassociated with any domain other than the domain of the networkidentifier; and accessing, by the electronic device, a resourcecorresponding to the network identifier.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the object in the physical environment comprises a physicalimage displayed in the physical environment.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the physical image comprises a logo of a product or a business.4. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the encoded networkidentifier from the embedded visual representation comprises obtainingthe characters of the encoded network identifier by performing anadditional decoding of the embedded visual representation.
 5. The methodof claim 4, wherein decoding the encoded network identifier comprises:decoding a first portion of the characters of the encoded networkidentifier using a first decoding scheme to obtain a host of the networkidentifier and the domain of the network identifier; and decoding asecond portion of the characters of the encoded network identifier usinga second decoding scheme to obtain a path of the network identifier. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein accessing the resource comprisesaccessing the resource using the host, the domain, and the path.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising: determining the first decodingscheme based on a host bit in the encoded network identifier; anddetermining the second decoding scheme based on a segmentation bit inthe encoded network identifier.
 8. A non-transitory machine-readablemedium comprising code that, when executed by one or more processors,causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:scanning, using a camera of an electronic device, an object in aphysical environment of the electronic device, wherein the objectcomprises an embedded visual representation of an encoded networkidentifier, wherein the encoded network identifier comprises characters,wherein the characters of the encoded network identifier are notincluded in the embedded visual representation, and wherein the objectcomprises a visual complexity capable of encoding a first number ofbits; extracting, at the electronic device, the encoded networkidentifier from the embedded visual representation; decoding, at theelectronic device, the encoded network identifier to obtain a networkidentifier having a domain, wherein the network identifier has a sizecorresponding to a second number of bits larger than the first number ofbits, and wherein the encoded network identifier does not include domaininformation associated with any domain other than the domain of thenetwork identifier; and accessing, by the electronic device, a resourcecorresponding to the network identifier.
 9. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the object in the physicalenvironment comprises a physical image displayed in the physicalenvironment.
 10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9,wherein the physical image comprises a logo of a product or a business.11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, whereinextracting the encoded network identifier from the embedded visualrepresentation comprises obtaining the characters of the encoded networkidentifier by performing an additional decoding of the embedded visualrepresentation.
 12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim11, wherein decoding the encoded network identifier comprises: decodinga first portion of the characters of the encoded network identifierusing a first decoding scheme to obtain a host of the network identifierand the domain of the network identifier; and decoding a second portionof the characters of the encoded network identifier using a seconddecoding scheme to obtain a path of the network identifier.
 13. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein accessingthe resource comprises accessing the resource using the host, thedomain, and the path.
 14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 12, the operations further comprising: determining the firstdecoding scheme based on a host bit in the encoded network identifier;and determining the second decoding scheme based on a segmentation bitin the encoded network identifier.
 15. An electronic device comprising:a memory; and one or more processors configured to: scan, using a cameraof the electronic device, an object in a physical environment of theelectronic device, wherein the object comprises an embedded visualrepresentation of an encoded network identifier, wherein the encodednetwork identifier comprises characters, wherein the characters of theencoded network identifier are not included in the embedded visualrepresentation, and wherein the object comprises a visual complexitycapable of encoding a first number of bits; extract the encoded networkidentifier from the embedded visual representation; decode the encodednetwork identifier to obtain a network identifier having a domain,wherein the network identifier has a size corresponding to a secondnumber of bits larger than the first number of bits, and wherein theencoded network identifier does not include domain informationassociated with any domain other than the domain of the networkidentifier; and access a resource corresponding to the networkidentifier.
 16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the object inthe physical environment comprises a physical image displayed in thephysical environment, the physical image comprising the visualcomplexity capable of encoding the first number of bits and wherein thefirst number of bits is less than or equal to one hundred twenty eightbits.
 17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the physical imagecomprises a logo of a product or a business.
 18. The electronic deviceof claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured toextract the encoded network identifier from the embedded visualrepresentation by obtaining the characters of the encoded networkidentifier by performing an additional decoding of the embedded visualrepresentation.
 19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the oneor more processors are configured to decode the encoded networkidentifier by: decoding a first portion of the characters of the encodednetwork identifier using a first decoding scheme to obtain a host of thenetwork identifier and the domain of the network identifier; anddecoding a second portion of the characters of the encoded networkidentifier using a second decoding scheme to obtain a path of thenetwork identifier.
 20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein theone or more processors are configured to access the resource using thehost, the domain, and the path.